Author's note: Thank you to BBC, Mofitiss, ACD, et al for the fun imaginary playmates. Thank you to my husband for being my sex monkey and the one thing in this one that keeps me grounded. This chapter we're going to pick up where we left Bash and Kate and then merge up to Jim's call following the club incident. Then we will be back into one story.

Chapter 20

Kate and Sebastian watched Spaceballs until the timer went off in the kitchen. They got up and Sebastian pulled the dish out of the oven. He set it on the stovetop, while Kate grabbed plates and silverware. "Wow, that smells delicious. We're pretty good cooks, Sebastian," said Kate. She cut out a sizeable piece with the server and placed it on a plate. She handed the plate to Sebastian and cut a smaller piece for herself. Sebastian grabbed two beers out of the refrigerator and handed one to Kate.

They walked out into the living room and plopped down on the couch. Resuming the movie, they dug into the food. They finished the movie, pausing it a few times to get more food or another drink. After the movie ended, they were stuffed. They pried themselves off the couch and cleaned up the kitchen. The leftovers were placed in the fridge and the dishes loaded into the dishwasher.

"Ugh, I'm too full to even think," groaned Kate. "What do you want to do now? I wouldn't mind another round of slap and tickle, but I need some time to digest or I'll be sick. How about you?"

"I second all that. Want to watch another movie?"

"Sure, what do you have in mind?"

"Well, I picked the last one, so it's your turn." Sebastian handed her the remote. She flipped through the channel guide, but didn't see anything that interested her. "Let me see what movies Heather has." Together they scanned the alphabetized movie selection along the wall. Kate saw one that she liked. "Hey, here's a good one. Do you like superhero movies?"

"Yeah, some. What's this about?"

"It's called Dr. Strange. It's from the Marvel Universe. Heather and I went to go see this opening night. It's really good. It's about a doctor who gets in a really bad car accident and has to stop being a doctor and goes to the far East and gets a bunch of mystical powers. Does that sound cool?"

"Okay, let's give that a try. Pop it in."

Kate started the blu-ray and settled back on the couch into Sebastian's arms. The movie started and Sebastian was immediately hooked. He liked the martial arts and found himself rooting for the bad guys. As the movie progressed and the character of Dr. Strange appeared, Sebastian had an odd feeling of déjà vu. "That actor reminds me of someone. Who is it? It's not the voice, but the body and the way he carries himself." When the character removed his surgical mask and cap, it hit him. "Fucking Holmes," Sebastian thought to himself. "Kate, who's that actor? The one playing Dr. Strange. He looks familiar."

"Oh, that's Benedict Cumberbatch. He's a British actor. Heather fancies him a bit. Thinks he's pretty hot. I think he looks like an otter and Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy had a baby. Not really my type. Something about his face just isn't right. But Heather practically gets the vapors when she sees a picture of him."

Sebastian vaguely remembered Heather saying something about an actor with that name or a name similar to that and how he was "dreamy." He didn't see it. All he saw was bloody Holmes with his smarmy, sarcastic face that just begged to be punched. "What a feckin' tosser. I wish Jim had let me just wing him a bit back at the pool. Just a little shot in the arm. He would have recovered fine eventually. But, no! It wasn't part of the plan! The holy, bloody, stinkin' plan. Always gotta stick with the plan. No room for variation. Even if it would have been fun." Sebastian sulked bitterly. He was surprisingly disturbed by how much his friend's appreciation for this actor annoyed him. "He's an actor, not the real Holmes, an actor, Moran. Pull yourself together," Sebastian thought to himself. He realized that Kate was talking to him.

"Seb, did you hear a word I said? You were muttering something to yourself. What did you say? Something about a pool and a plan. What was that all about?"

"Oh, nothing. He just reminds me of this jerk I know back home. Real annoying know-it-all. Thinks he's hot shit. Real pain in the ass kind of guy. But, yeah, you're right. Something is weird about his face. And his body looks like it doesn't know how to work together. What a doofus!" Sebastian laughed. "C'mere, let's watch this dumbass together." He stretched his legs across the couch and pulled Kate into his lap. He wrapped his arms around her as she leaned into his chest. He felt a certain stirring in his lower regions and hoped he wasn't being too obvious. "Patience, buddy. Both of us need to settle our stomachs before we go again. But, soon. Soon, you'll get round two." Sebastian smiled to himself.

Kate settled in against Sebastian. She could feel his growing erection against her lower back. "Wow, someone's eager. Just wait a little longer. I have a few things in mind for you Mister. If round one was all for me, round two is going to be all yours," Kate thought to herself lasciviously. She rested her head against the blonde's chest. She felt like the cat who discovered the cream.

The longer they watched the movie, the more comfortable and sleepy they became. Kate fell asleep first. Sebastian started to feel his head bob forward and his eyelids droop, when his phone rang. Kate sprang forward, suddenly awake. She reached down and handed Sebastian his phone. Both of them stood up as Sebastian answered the phone. Before he could get out a hello, he heard Jim's voice. "Vacation's over. We have work to do."

"Yes, sir. Understood. Where are you?" Sebastian started to look for his socks and shoes, while Kate looked on with a puzzled look. "Understood. I will await your arrival shortly." Sebastian listened for a moment. "Yes, sir. I will do that and have everything prepared when you arrive. Is there anything else I may do for you at this time, sir?" Sebastian paused. "Very good." He hung up the phone. Addressing Kate, "There's been an emergency with Heather. She's okay, but very upset. She and Jim will be arriving back here shortly. He has asked that you stay at least until they get back in case Heather wants to talk. He and I will be having a closed-door meeting as soon as they arrive. I'm sorry to cut our night short, but duty calls. I had a really great time. I hope you did too."

"Oh, my God! What happened? Did Heather get hurt? What's going on, Sebastian?"

"Jim did not specify what happened, just that there was a situation and we would need to have a meeting regarding a plan to handle it. He said that Heather was safe, but upset. Jim controls the information that he gives out. I will know more after we meet, but I will most likely not be allowed to share. Heather will probably be your best source, although Jim may have coached her on what to say and what not to say. He wants me to set up, as he put it, 'a comfortable environment for Heather,' which I take to mean I will be making some hot chocolate and smores for her as well as ensuring that she has access to her valium. Can I count on your help with her?"

"Yes, of course. She's my friend too. I'll get everything out for the cocoa and the smores. Do you know where she keeps her valium?"

"Yeah, it's in her bedside table. I'll bring them downstairs to the kitchen. Try to get her to take one with her hot chocolate. But don't put it in her hot chocolate. She would be furious if she thought we were trying to secretly drug her. Her trust issues, you know."

"Obviously." Kate went into the kitchen, while Sebastian hurried up the stairs and into Heather's bedroom. He grabbed the pill bottle and closed the drawer. On his way out, he saw a framed picture of her at 4 years old riding a merry-go-round pony. Her coppery red hair hung in pigtails and shone like a brand-new penny in the sunlight and her crooked grin and deep dimples took up over half her face. She looked carefree and happy and Sebastian's heart pained at the thought of this princess, his princess, being anything, but as joyful as she was in that picture. Whatever had happened, whoever had hurt her would pay the ultimate price. He exited the room and descended the steps. He took the pills in to the kitchen and set them down next to Kate. His phone pinged. "Five minutes out," read the message from Jim. Sebastian relayed the message to Kate and walked back into the living room. He opened the front door, but kept the storm door closed. He kept watch for the limo and would activate the gates as soon as it started to pull in. Four minutes later, he saw the headlights and dialed in the security code. The limo paused while the gates opened fully and then pulled through and parked at the top of the driveway. Jim was out of the car before it had fully stopped and was all but carrying Heather out of the vehicle bridal style. Sebastian came charging through the door. "Jim, is she injured? Do you need help carrying her? Kate's inside making her hot chocolate and smores. They're her comfort food and we thought she might want them right now."

"Sebastian, she's not physically injured. Just very upset. I'll explain more when we get inside. Can you help her inside while I finish out here?" Sebastian picked Heather up and carried her inside. "Hey there, Kitten. I'm here. I've got you. What happened, princess? Are you ok? Katie's making you some hot chocolate and smores. You two can talk while Jim and I have a meeting." Sebastian set Heather down on the couch and called out to Kate. "Is the cocoa ready yet? I have her out here on the couch. She's not physically hurt."

Kate brought a plate of smores out and set them down on the coffee table. "Hey, love. Here's some smores. The hot chocolate will be ready in a minute." She sat down and put her arm around her friend. "Do you want to talk sweetie? What happened?"

Heather looked up with heavily fatigued eyes. "I'm kind of tired. Where's Jim? He was just here." She rubbed her forehead wearily. "Can we head up to my room? I want to get out of this dress and in to something else. I'm just … tired."

Kate looked up at Sebastian with a worried appearance. "Yeah, sure. Come on. I'll grab the smores and we'll head up. Sebastian, can you grab the hot chocolate for us and bring it up please? Thanks."

Kate led her friend upstairs and into her bedroom. Sebastian came up a moment later with two mugs of steaming cocoa and set them down. "Jim and I are going to be in his room if you guys need anything. Just knock and wait until one of us opens the door." He shot a look of extreme concern towards Kate and gestured with his eyes towards Heather who was sitting on the floor, still in her dress. Kate raised her hands to say, "I got this."

Sebastian turned and walked down the hall to Jim's room. Jim had changed into a pair of pajamas and was pacing the floor, muttering to himself.

"Jim, what the hell happened? Heather looks like she's been through hell. Did something go wrong at the restaurant?"

Jim reviewed the events of the night using some particularly colorful language and, more than once, slipping in Gaelic. Sebastian was both incensed at the turn of events and quite impressed that no one had died yet.

"Sebastian, you know what needs to be done of course. That motherfucker who dared lay his paw on my queen must die. I'm pleased that she broke his wrist, but that is simply not enough for him. She is MINE and I don't share! That club manager needs to be punished as well. As does the entire security team. My queen should never have been placed in that level of danger. How are you doing with the assignment I already gave you? Do we have a security team in place? When are the cameras and wires going in? Don't fail me, Moran. I will not tolerate failure right now."

"The surveillance here in the home and at her office will be installed tomorrow. Here while she is taking us to the airport. Her office first thing in the morning. She is getting an oil change on Saturday. I bribed the one mechanic that she always goes to to let our guys place surveillance then. I have three guys right now for medium range security. I obviously have not had time to talk to her about hiring personal security, but I think that with tonight's events, I can probably flip her thinking towards doing it. I will talk to her in the morning. Perhaps you should join us for that little extra oomph."

Jim nodded his head. "I want the guy who attacked her is named Gary Johnson. I want him dead. Tonight. Make it as painful as possible. Are there any warehouses or places around here where you can work? Get me information on the club manager and security team. Family, friends, weaknesses. I will develop a plan after I know more. Who do we have locally?"

Sebastian thought for a moment. "We don't have anyone here in Baltimore, but depending on what you want done, I can assign a few guys to travel here for work. Johansson and Kaserov just came back from assignments. The Mick is available if you're leaning towards arson."

"Yeah, that sounds good. Burn the club down. With the manager and head of security in it. Wait 1 week, so it's not so obvious. Have Mick make it look electrical. You need to get ready now. Mr. Johnson is in surgery now. Take care of him. Make sure he suffers and knows why. He's at Heather's hospital. Speaking of which, how is she? Is Kate up there with her?"

"Yeah, Kate is up there now. She made her smores and cocoa for her. She's going to try to get her to take a valium and hopefully get some sleep. Heather looks like hell. When I brought the hot chocolate up, she was sitting on the floor still in her dress silent. She looked completely empty. I hope Kate can get her to open up some. If I didn't have to go take care of this guy, I would go in there, but it looks I'm going to be busy for the better part of the night." Sebastian bit his lip and was quiet for a moment, trying to think of how to word his next statement. "Jim, with all due respect, maybe you should let her sleep alone tonight. If you are in there, she might feel like she needs to … um … entertain … you to make you … you know happy despite how she feels. She tends to be a bit of a people pleaser and I'm not sure that … she should be … pleasing …" Sebastian kind of trailed off.

"No, I understand what you are saying. I agree. I'll offer to spend the night with her, but carefully turn down any romantic gestures. She needs to feel safe, not sexy tonight. I want her to feel secure and safe. I want her to know that I am here for her for everything, not just the sex and good times. She's too important to me. I want to protect her for all the bad in the world. I'm mad at myself for leaving her alone tonight. I thought she would be okay, but I was wrong. Then this horrible thing happened. I just can't forgive myself. It's my fault that she was in danger. I should have just flagged down a waitress and placed the order, but I didn't. It's unforgivable, really."

"Um, boss, for what it's worth, I think you are being too hard on yourself. There was no way for you to know that that could have happen. You said you were only gone for a couple minutes, right? It's not like you hung around the bar for 20 or 30 minutes or ignored her. You went to go get a couple drinks and then headed right back. It's totally normal. Unfortunately, slimy, bottom-feeding guys are everywhere and wait around patiently for opportunities. You can't be connected at the hip to her every second of every day. And on the upside, she protected herself. She didn't get physically hurt. Yeah, she's upset, but physically okay. Sexually okay. She's a tough cookie. She looks like all flowers and sunshine, but like you saw tonight, she can kick some ass if she has to. She'll come through this okay, I promise. She just needs a little time."

Jim sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "Maybe you're right, Seb? This is brand-new territory for me. I never thought I would actually love someone and I just feel lost without a map here. You know me. Normally, I have an answer for everything, but right now, this feels totally foreign. I just love her so much and I can't stand to see her hurting, even for a second. I just know that when I saw that man touch her, all I wanted to do was rip him to pieces with my bare hands. I actually saw red. When she bent his hand back, it was actually very hot. She was so animalistic and raw. Just for a second. Then I heard her voice and the pain and panic in it and I got so angry again. I don't even know what I did with the drinks. Suddenly she was in my arms and the drinks weren't. It was crazy."

"I know. Love, especially with Heather, makes a man crazy. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt to prove it. Like I said, she's nothing like what you would expect and that's why you love being around her. She's a walking bundle of contradictions. On anyone else, it would drive you far away, but somehow, it works for her. I can't explain it. I gave up trying a long time ago. I'm just along for the ride. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go visit a man about his death." Sebastian left the room and walked down the hall to Heather's bedroom. Knocking on the door, he called out to her, "Kitten, it's me. Can I come in?"

Kate opened the door. "Hey, she's in the shower, but she should be done soon. Come on in." Sebastian walked in and sat down on the bed. "How's she doing?"

"She's upset, understandably. She's concerned about any legal trouble she might be in, despite what the detective told her. Also, she knows that even if criminal charges aren't brought, this guy could still sue her. She's embarrassed. She's worried that Jim's mad at her. She's scared that Jim's going to dump her because she embarrassed him. She's upset because this guy touched her, and you know how she is with personal space. She didn't want any of the smores and only drank a few tiny sips of the hot chocolate, which worries me because she never refuses either one of them. I did convince her to take a valium after her shower, so that's a partial victory I suppose. I'm debating whether I should call Dr. Sullivan in the morning to give him a heads up in case she needs to get in to see him sooner than her next scheduled appointment. I don't want to interfere, but she is pretty upset and might need to see him for a little extra help. What do you think? Should I call him or just let it go?"

"I don't know. How's her valium supply? Does she have enough to get through the next several days or will she need a refill soon? What about her other meds?"

"She's good on everything except her migraine meds, but her family doctor prescribes those not her psychiatrist. Even those she has about 3 weeks left, so if she calls in a refill request to the pharmacy soon, she'll be fine."

"Okay. Let's hold off calling Sullivan for right now. Jim and I are returning home tomorrow, so I'll need you to be my eyes on the ground if you don't mind. If you think she needs you to step in and make the call, go ahead. Try to get her to call him, but if she just won't and you think she needs it, go ahead. If she gets mad, blame me. Tell her I told you to do it. I can take her temper tantrums. It won't be the first and it probably won't be the last. I have to run out and take care of something tonight. I had a really great time tonight. I'm sorry it ended this way. Here's my number. I'd love if we talked some more at least. I don't make it over here very often and I can't imagine you're in the UK on a regular basis, but if we're ever in the same area at the same time, I'd love to see you again." Sebastian blushed a bit as he wrote his number down and handed it to Kate.

Kate grabbed a piece of scrap paper and wrote down her number. "Yeah, I had a good time tonight too. Here's my number. Do you ever FaceTime? We could do that sometime. I would love to see you again."

"Yeah, Heather and I FaceTime usually at least once a week or so, so I'm sure I can squeeze you in. My schedule is a little crazy, but I'll text you sometime to set up a time that we are both available." Sebastian smiled awkwardly. He gave Kate a big hug and kissed her softly on the lips. "I'll see you later." He walked out of the room and into his, smiling ear to ear.

Sebastian changed his clothes into something appropriate for the task ahead. He grabbed his supplies. He walked into Jim's room and let him know that he was leaving and would be back later with an action report. He asked Jim if he needed anything before he left. Jim shook his head and reminded Sebastian of the importance of this mission. Sebastian nodded and left the room. He saw Kate and Heather in the hallway, carrying the dishes down the stairs.

"Bash, where are you going? It's late, honey."

"I have to go handle something, Kitten, but I'll be back soon. How are you feeling? Do you need anything while I'm out?"

"No, I'm fine. What are you going to go do? It's really late."

Sebastian sighed, "Kitten, octopus. Okay? Octopus. But I won't be gone long, I promise. Jim's here if you need anything. He's in his room. And if all goes right, I'll be back in a couple hours. Come here." Sebastian enveloped Heather in a warm, comforting hug. "I'm so sorry things went bad for you tonight. But you know, I would do anything for you, right? So would Jim. He loves you more than anything in this world. You're our Baby Girl. We will never let anything bad happen to you again. I promise. We'll talk some more in the morning. I want you to go to sleep now and get some really good restful sleep, okay?"

"Ok, Bash. I love you too. Be careful and stay safe." The trio walked down the stairs. Kate and Heather walked into the kitchen and Sebastian exited the house.